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femmedem

(8,187 posts)
Tue Dec 4, 2018, 10:01 AM Dec 2018

Krugman: Climate Denial Was the Crucible for Trumpism

"Many observers seem baffled by Republican fealty to Donald Trump — the party’s willingness to back him on all fronts, even after severe defeats in the midterm elections. What kind of party would show such support for a leader who is not only evidently corrupt and seemingly in the pocket of foreign dictators, but also routinely denies facts and tries to criminalize anyone who points them out?

The answer is, the kind of the party that, long before Trump came on the scene, committed itself to denying the facts on climate change and criminalizing the scientists reporting those facts.

The G.O.P. wasn’t always an anti-environment, anti-science party. George H.W. Bush introduced the cap-and-trade program that largely controlled the problem of acid rain. As late as 2008, John McCain called for a similar program to limit emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

But McCain’s party was already well along in the process of becoming what it is today — a party that is not only completely dominated by climate deniers, but is hostile to science in general, that demonizes and tries to destroy scientists who challenge its dogma..."

More: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/opinion/climate-denial-trump-gop.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

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Krugman: Climate Denial Was the Crucible for Trumpism (Original Post) femmedem Dec 2018 OP
This goes back a long way before climate denial. Botany Dec 2018 #1
Agreed roscoeroscoe Dec 2018 #3
All of Republicanism is a lie. nt SunSeeker Dec 2018 #2

Botany

(70,291 posts)
1. This goes back a long way before climate denial.
Tue Dec 4, 2018, 10:13 AM
Dec 2018

In 1981 when Reagan came to power he took down the solar panels (water heaters)
from the White House and his republican acolytes all pounded their chests and told
each other what a good move St. Ronny made.

roscoeroscoe

(1,369 posts)
3. Agreed
Wed Dec 5, 2018, 05:37 AM
Dec 2018

Republicans turned their backs on the future right then. Nowadays it has boiled down to simply 'trolling the libs,' but in Reagan's day it was all presented as sunny optimism - 'Morning in America (tm)'

MAGA is the same old rerun, featuring more blatant trolling.

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